Man Admits To $9 Million East Peoria Theft

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:10:04 CDTBy: AP

A Cuban national has pleaded guilty to stealing eight million dollars in cigarettes from a Peoria area warehouse. Federal prosecutors say 48-year old Amed Villa has also admitted swiping $90 million in pharmaceuticals from a Connecticut storage facility. The theft from the Eli Lilly company is reportedly the largest in Connecticut history. The U.S. Attorney's office in Peoria reports Villa cut a hole in the roof of a warehouse in East Peoria in January of 2010. He and others bypassed the security system and stole more than 3,500 cases of cigarettes. Law enforcement authorities found a ladder and tools on the roof. They also found a water bottle with Villa's DNA on it and managed to track him down two years and link him to the Connecticut caper involving $90 million in pallets of Prozac, Cymbalta, Zyprexa and other medicines. Prosecutors say the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms helped East Peoria police and other agencies in the investigation of the multi state bulk theft ring. Villa faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.